Does our pain threshold change after Sah?

[Jan]

Hi there, I'm sorry if there's been previous posts about this, I couldn't find one. 

 

I think I have a trapped nerve in my right shoulder and pulled muscle on my right side ( sort of under my ribs) the pain can be excruciating, particularly when I turn in bed, I can't get out of bed without holding on to John.

 

I'm sure I dealt with pain better before my SAH. This has had me in tears and squealing over the weekend. I'm shattered.

 

Anyway, just wondered if anyone else feels pain more now. I've got an appointment at the docs on Wednesday.

 

Love Jan xx

[Tina]

Hi Jan 

 

Sorry to read you are in so much pain, bless you, hugs  xx

Horrible when you cant sleep with the pain too.

Roll on Wednesday for your appointment with your Doctor and hope they can get to the bottom of it  and help with your pain.

 

I have not noticed any difference personally, but then i am told i have a high pain threshold so probably not the best one to answer you   

I do know that if i am tired and not sleeping everything seems a lot worse and much harder to cope with. Especially if you are in the early days of recovery from your SAH, which you are, first 2 years i found the hardest xx

 

Take care and really hope you can rest and the pain eases up for you.

Love Tina xx 

 

[Winb143]

Hope all feels better soon Jan, all I can add is that I never wanted another appointment to see any Medical people again.

 

But I hope your pain gets better and you get a good nights sleep, I do get the odd aches and pains also I feel like a needle is stuck in top of spine by neck, go figure lol xxxxx  Now sleep catch up on last nights xx

 

Be Well

 

Win xxxx

[Jan]

Hi Tina and Win, Thank you for your replies.

 

Tina -I know what you mean about everything being worse when tired!

 

Win - re appointments with medical people,I decided at the end of last year that I was sick of looking at my calendar and only seeing appointments, like a constant reminder that 'Jan is ill' so I bought another calendar, one for appointments, one for birthdays etc.This wouldve been ok if I hadn't hung one over the other. how many belated birthday cards do you think I had to send?! And a few 'nearly missed' appointments, depending on which calender was at the front ! ,

 

Love Jan xx

[Tina]

Jan, try this link to a thread by Daff...... it may help you and others with pain threshold/management :

 

http://web.behindthegray.net/index.php?/topic/2645-useful-simple-pain-management-booklet/

 

 

 

 

 

[Jan]

Hi Tina, I'll be asking John to print that when he gets in from work (I can't remember how to work the printer!) 

that is a really good article Thank you ?

Love Jan xx

[Skippy]

Hey "Sis" 

 

I definitely feel pain more now than before the SAH - I have seven tattoos and the last 3 are post SAH (2 on back and 1 on wrist) and ones on my back definitely hurt more than the others on my back (5 in total) - whether that's because they're in a slightly more sensitive place, I'm not sure.  I definitely feel headaches more and muscular pain more than before. I never used to take pain killers for a headache but now I can't stand not to.

 

Hopefully resting and getting some decent sleep will help - other than that a nice warm bath with muscle soak bubble bath is great - my hubby has a severely broken leg from a motorbike accident last year (he nearly lost his leg and his life) and he finds a nice warm bath with the muscle soak really helps with his aches and pains - worth a try hun xx

[Jan]

Hi Sis, not just me then?  that's good to know, sorry,I don't mean that it's good that you feel pain more now?

After my SAH we had the bathroom  'updated' I couldn't get in or out of the bath unaided and our old shower was a trickle, and that was on a good day!

 

Fortunately, my younger son is a builder, so he  installed a lovely walk in shower for us which is fab  but no muscle soak in a bath for me.

what an awful time for you and your husband last year. How is he now? 

I think you're brave having tatoos, both my sons have them and have often said 'oh go on Mum, just have a little one !

 

Like you, I very rarely took painkillers before this , now I'm just a pill popper! ,

Love Jan xx

[Skippy]

He's getting there Sis, his legs are still healing and he's improving every day - very scary time though.

 

Shame you can't have a bath - it would definitely help.  Get hubby to give you a massage in the area that hurts with some Tiger Balm - like Ralgex without the vile smell lol xx

[SarahLou]

Hi Jan,

 

I'd take a guess that my pain threshold was quite high before my SAH. I had a baby with no pain relief. I smashed my ankle and dislocated it, had to wait quite some time for pain relief.

 

I went through donating a kidney after having an epidural block that didn't work, took them three days to realise that,when the person who preformed it came back on duty after the weekend and said it had failed.

 

Have to say I've never felt such pain, I said it was worse than labour. They were amazed I'd coped the way I had.

but that's all the past...

 

I don't remember much in the run up to SAH but I'm told I said I was in great pain, told colleagues I was having the worst headache etc, etc.

 

Since SAH (nearly 6 years) yes, I do feel pain differently. By that I mean I'm much more aware of what's my 'normal', how to cope with that and when to see GP when things are beyond my normal.

 

One great bit of advice  our lovely Super Mario once gave me was not to put everything down to 'symptoms of sah' that's one of the best bits of advice because I kept putting it down to SAH aftermath when actually I needed other investigations , all my symptoms were so easily put down to SAH,but they weren't.

 

I too have recently been having chest pains under ribs on left side, ended up in a very stressful and scary visit to A&E. Thankfully I'm fine, I know what's wrong. I still have these pains, they come and go.

 

If I'm tired, not slept well (often) everything is more exaggerated. All pains seem worse, I'm more mardy too! We need to sleep to heal.

 

By the way... Tiger Balm is a fab product, definitely try it.

 

Your'll soon have your GP appointment, and your'll hopefully get some answers and then some treatment.

 

Do all the things that you can to help you relax and de-stress.

 

I have recently been practicing the art Zen Breathing that someone on here recommended. Amazing.

 

Oh Heated wheat bags are great too, really recommend those

 

Let us know how you get on.

 

Take Care,

 

SarahLou Xx

[Jan]

Hi Sis and Sarah Lou

I'll definately try the tiger balm, thank you?

 

Sis, good that your hubby is improving all the time, very scary time.

 

Sarah Lou, I know what you  mean about putting everything down to the aftermath of Sah, when I first came out of hospital,Id only have to break a nail and think it had only broken because Id had a Sah ! !

 

I have learnt to 'separate symptoms, pains, feelings now  I think sometimes its one of those 'why me' moments, you know? Ive got 'this'pain on top of everything else I've had thrown at me ?Perhaps it just comes back to needing that 'boot up the behind' that we've mentioned before ?

Love Jan xx

[Jan]

Hi there,Im back from the docs, got some stronger painkillers (stronger than paracetamol !) so Ill hopefully get a good nights sleep.?

 

I'm going back later for blood tests to check phenytoin levels and Ive requested one to check my iron levels I was taking iron tablets pre SAH and have been wondering  if perhaps  a lack of iron is contributing to my weary feelings during the day?  It could just be the dreaded fatigue of course

 

Sarah Lou, I tried the wheat bag on my shoulder, it did ease the discomfort ? Didn't help with the night  sweats! , Hey Ho, cant have everything! ,

Love Jan xx

[Sharlua]

Hope the pain killers work Jan, worse pain I experienced even above SAH headache/explosion was tendinitis in shoulder last November.  I have never experienced pain like it literally walked the floor for two days as could not find a place to ease the pain.  

 

I do think I am more aware of health since SAH and so don't know if this makes more conscious when things not ok and more sensitive to pain.  I did blame my pain in feet from SAH has it started straight after but doctor felt it was unrelated.  Now not sure if it is just age as seem to be at hospital every other month for feet and shoulder.

 

Anyway on the positive side headache from yesterday finally subsided today after awful night and the sun shone all day.

 

Sharon x